CHAPTER 10 — TOO CLOSE TO IGNORE
(Lira's POV)
I thought surviving things that wanted to kill me would be the hardest part of this whole situation. I was wrong.
The hardest part? Training with Kael. "Again." "I just did." "Do it better." "I almost passed out."
"You didn't." "I was emotionally passed out." "That's not a real thing." "It is now."
I glared at him from where I was sitting on the cold ground, breathing harder than I would ever admit out loud.
Everything hurt. My head. My chest. My pride. Especially my pride. "This is torture," I muttered.
"This is necessary." "This is torture disguised as necessary." "It's still necessary." "I hate that you're always technically right."
"I know." I pushed myself up slowly, ignoring the slight dizziness that followed.
"Okay," I said, rolling my shoulders. "Let's get this over with." "You're improving."
I blinked. Wait. Hold on. Pause. I turned to him slowly. "…was that a compliment?"
"No." "That sounded like a compliment." "It wasn't." "You literally said I'm improving."
"That's an observation." "That is the definition of a compliment." "No, it's not." "You are unbelievable." "I've been told."
I shook my head, trying not to smile. Which was annoying. Because I should not be smiling. Not here. Not with him. Definitely not with him.
"Focus," he said. "I am focused." "You're smiling." "I am not smiling." "You are."
I immediately stopped. "There. Problem solved." "That's not how that works." "It worked just now."
I lifted my hand again, trying to ignore how tired I felt. "Okay," I muttered. "Shadow thing. Power thing. Do something impressive."
Nothing happened. Of course nothing happened. I sighed. "Great. Back to being useless." "You're not useless."
I paused. "…you really need to stop saying things like that." "Why?" "Because I don't know how to react." "That sounds like a you problem." "It is a you problem."
I tried again. Focused. Felt. Pushed. And this time—Something answered.
The shadows around me shifted. Not violently. Not uncontrollably. But… smoothly. Controlled. My breath caught. "Wait—"
They moved with me. Not against me. Not randomly. With me. "Oh." Kael didn't speak. But I felt it.
That shift in the air. That attention. That focus. "Okay," I said slowly, trying not to mess it up. "Okay… this is new."
"Don't lose it." "Wow, thank you, very calming advice." "Focus." "I am focusing!"
The shadows curled slightly around my hand. Soft. Responsive. Alive. And for the first time—They didn't feel like something separate. They felt like… mine.
"Kael," I said quietly, "I think I'm actually doing it." "Yes." "Don't ruin this moment." "I'm not." "You usually do." "Not this time."
I took a careful step forward. The shadows followed. Perfectly. No resistance. No chaos. Just… control. "I'm amazing," I whispered.
"Don't get overconfident." "Let me have this." "No." "Rude." Then—It slipped. Just a little. The control wavered. The shadows flickered.
I tensed instantly. "No—no, stay—" "Don't panic." "I'm not panicking!" "You're panicking." "I am slightly panicking!" The shadows reacted immediately. Twisting. Sharpening. Turning unstable. "Okay, now
I'm actually panicking—" "Lira." That tone again. Low. Steady. Commanding. "Look at me." I did. And just like that—Everything else faded. The noise. The fear. The chaos. Gone. "Focus," he said. "I am." "Stay with it." "I'm trying." "Don't try." "I don't know what that means!" "Just feel it." I closed my eyes. Ignored everything else.
And followed the connection. The pull. The strange, steady rhythm inside me. The shadows responded. Slowing. Calming. Stabilizing. When I opened my eyes again—They were still there. Still controlled. Still mine.
"I did it," I whispered. "Yes." "I actually did it." "Yes." I turned to him, a grin breaking through before I could stop it. "I DID IT." "You did." "I'm incredible." "You're improving." "Same thing." "No." "Yes." And then—I realized how close he was. Very close. Too close. At some point—He had stepped forward. Without me noticing. Without me realizing. And now—There was barely any space between us. My breath caught.
Again. But this time—Not because of fear. "You're distracted," he said quietly. "I am not distracted." "You are." "I'm focusing." "On the wrong thing." I swallowed. Hard. "…I don't know what you're talking about." "Yes, you do." The bond shifted. Different this time. Not painful. Not chaotic. But… aware. Sharp. Heavy. Like it was paying attention. Like it could feel everything.
Every breath. Every movement. Every second of space between us—Disappearing. "You need control," Kael said. His voice was lower now. Closer. "Then stop standing so close," I said quickly. "I'm not the problem." "You are absolutely the problem." "No." "Yes." I should have stepped back. I didn't. I should have looked away. I didn't. I should have said something sarcastic. I didn't. Instead—I stayed there.
Looking at him. Waiting. For what? I had no idea. His gaze dropped slightly. Then back to mine. And the air between us? Yeah. That was definitely not normal anymore. "Lira," he said quietly. And that was it. That was all he said. Just my name. And somehow—That was worse. My heart was beating way too fast. This was not training. This was not normal. This was—Dangerous. In a completely different way. "…this is a bad idea," I said. "Yes." "Then why are we not moving?"
"I don't know." "Great." The bond tightened. Sharp. Pulling. Like it wanted something. Like it was waiting. And for one second—Just one—I thought he might close the distance completely. A sudden crack of energy split the air. Loud. Violent. Wrong. We both pulled back instantly. The moment shattered. Gone. The shadows around us twisted again. Not calm. Not controlled. Different. I exhaled sharply. "Okay," I said.
"That was definitely not normal." "No." "Is anything ever normal here?" "No." "Thought so." Kael's expression darkened slightly. "The connection is getting stronger." "That doesn't sound like a good thing." "It's not." "Of course it's not." I crossed my arms again, trying to ignore everything that had just happened. Which was not easy. At all. "We almost just
—" I stopped. "No," Kael said immediately. "I didn't even finish the sentence." "You didn't need to." "…wow." I shook my head. "Right. Training. Danger. Not whatever that was." "Yes." "Good. Glad we're on the same page." But the truth? Yeah. We definitely weren't.
Because even as I turned away—Even as I tried to focus again—Even as I forced myself to ignore it—The bond didn't. It was still there. Still aware. Still… waiting. And somehow—That felt even more dangerous than everything else.